Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has decided to reverse his retirement from Test cricket and has been named in the squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh, set to commence on March 22. Hasaranga, who announced his retirement from Test cricket last year, is making a comeback for the ICC World Test Championship series against Bangladesh. Since his Test debut in 2020, Hasaranga has featured in four Tests, accumulating 196 runs with one half-century in seven innings and claiming four wickets, according to ICC records. He joins a formidable spin attack comprising Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, and all-rounders Nishan Peiris and Kamindu Mendis. Dhananjaya de Silva retains the Test captaincy, with Kusal Mendis serving as his deputy. The Test series will kick off in Sylhet, followed by the second Test scheduled to start on March 30 in Chattogram.
Meanwhile, Litton Das, the former Bangladesh captain and wicketkeeper-batter, is set to return to the Test side after missing the previous series against New Zealand due to paternity leave. Najmul Hossain Shanto filled in as captain during Litton’s absence. Litton boasts a wealth of experience, having featured in 39 Test matches and amassing 2394 runs at an average of 36.27, with 28 appearances as the designated wicketkeeper. Notably, Nurul Hasan, who stood in as wicketkeeper in place of Litton in the recent home Test series against New Zealand, is not included in the squad.
The 15-member Bangladesh squad also includes rookie pacers Nahid Rana and Mushfik Hasan, while seasoned pacer Ebadot Hossain remains sidelined due to a knee injury sustained last year, which caused him to miss the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India.
Sri Lanka Test Squad: Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya De Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Lahiru Udara, Wanindu Hasaranga, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Nishan Peiris, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Chamika Gunasekara.
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